Say, Look What's Buried in the Times

After all the attention given to the charges and counter-charges concerning the Italian journalist kidnapped, then shot at after her release, (and here's where it would be enormously helpful if the Times would follow the Post's lead, and add the information to their online articles, just telling the reader which page an article had appeared on if it was from the print edition) comes an article that's not exactly placed for maximum attention.

In fact it's below the fold on page A-8.

The headline reads, "Iraqis Say Italians Aren't Cooperating in Kidnapping Investigation," but in fact that's a bit misleading.

In fact, they aren't cooperating now, and they failed to cooperate during efforts to free her while she was a hostage, interfered with efforts to free her.

The Iraqis believe she wasn't being held by Islamists, by the kind of kidnappers who chop heads, but by a for-profit criminal group (which is why they aren't happy the Italians let them go, and with more money in their pockets.)

Twelve days after Ms. Sgrena was abducted, she was seen on a videotape pleading for her life and asking all foreigners, in particular Italian troops, to leave Iraq immediately. But Iraqi investigators believe that the display was essentially a bargaining ploy in ransom negotiations.

Information from the Italians, Colonel Jabbar asserted, could have made the difference in cracking the case and bringing the kidnappers to justice. Instead, he said, his investigators saw the lines of communication shut down once the Italians began negotiating with the kidnappers. (My emph.)

But they also say they aren't getting cooperation in finding the kidnappers now.

Iraqi investigators who are trying to find the kidnappers of the Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena say their work has been stymied by a lack of cooperation from the Italian intelligence services that won her release exactly a month after she was abducted on Feb. 4. (My emph.)

Given that Berlusconi's announcement about the Italian pullout is being spun as a response to public pressure in part due to the shooting, this is sort of relevant, isn't it? Wouldn't the Italian public be just a little bit interested to hear that the same Italian secret service let these guys get away, and aren't helping catch them now?

Although, come to think of it, there hasn't seemed to be much anger directed at the kidnappers. It's all been about the checkpoint shooting, not the kidnapping, and not about the ransom.

Why isn't there any interest in catching the actual bad guys?

But if that isn't true in Italy, you would think that here there would be interest in hearing that the Italians aren't helping catch a kidnapping ring.

Wouldn't you?

Comments

[os]

It sounds like Italian intelligence lacks confidence in Iraqi/ US intel-police services. And considering that US soldiers just killed one of their top SISMI agents, after he had notified US officials that his car would be travelling to the airport, one might conclude that this lack of confidence is justified.

Intel info is, of course, a valuable and privileged commodity, which is rapidly debased if mishandled. Whole operations can be compromised when even a few details go astray. We know how the U.S. guards its sources and methods, even years after an operation. If you were the Italians, would you be cooperating with Iraqi police and intel now? And if you did cooperate, with an Italian public so irrate about the recent death of Calipari, would you do it through any channel that the NYT is likely to hear about?

It seems unlikely that any of us, beyond the closest circles of international intelligence, will know soon or ever what is truly going on with this incident. Which may well justify the Times burying the story. Still interesting to hear the Iraqi police perspective., isn't it?

[dauber]

Excellent pts, thank you. Although I would note that you *presume* the Italians coordinated with the Americans, and that is far, far from clear.